Excuses, Excuses
by The Mocking J
Summary: Dean Delmona meets with Rosetta Stone to discuss her... er, obsession with Professor Layton.


**Excuses, Excuses**

The "Teal Tea House" was a charming little establishment just around the corner from Gressenheller University; along a road lined with trees and some traffic lights. The tea shop was wedged between a second hand book store and a block of offices. Students often came here to escape the hubbub of campus life.

Dean Delmona could see the appeal of the place. He parked his car outside and walked between the tea house's faded white pillars, pausing for a moment to study the display menu. _Hmm... English tea, cheese and ham croissant, freshly squeezed orange juice with a slice of fruit bread, fudge chocolate brownie... _The options sounded delectable. He would have to bring his granddaughter here sometime. This afternoon, however, the Dean was visiting on strict university business.

A troublesome matter had arisen regarding one of Gressenheller's finest professors and a certain student. Professor Hershel Layton had approached Dean Delmona the other day, appearing uncharacteristically flustered, to quietly inform him of a predicament that was becoming impossible to ignore. Miss Rosetta Stone, a young lady in Hershel's archaeology class, had become quite... well, _attached _to her professor. In polite terms, the old boy had described her antics as bordering on promiscuous, though Hershel insisted he'd done nothing to incite Miss Stone's obsession. Dean Delmona had immediately agreed to talk to Rosetta about her behaviour. It was his duty as the head of Gressenheller to resolve such issues, besides, he owed Hershel several favours.

The Dean patted down the toupee on his head and entered the tea house. His arrival was announced by the tinkle of a silver bell above the door. He was greeted by the smell of coffee, a constant simmering warmth. The wallpaper was flowery and teal coloured, hence the shop's name. Babbling conversations mixed with the clink of metal spoons against mugs. A trio of elderly women were gossiping, a mother was attempting to secure her squirming toddler into a highchair, and a few diligent students sat hunched over text books.

A waitress waved at Delmona and he took a seat at a table by the window. Minutes passed without sign of Miss Stone; he occasionally checked his pocket watch. Eventually, he ordered a cup of tea from the counter and returned to his chair.

Finally, after approximately twenty minutes, there was a ringing as the door swung open. All heads turned to behold the newcomer.

Rosetta Stone stood there, cutting off the sunlight in the doorway. She wore simple sneakers, skinny jeans, and a plain white T-Shirt with a picture of a cute pink unicorn on it. This didn't deter the present male students, who glued their eyes to the girl's upper chest area. Dean Delmona had to catch himself from staring as well. _For heaven's sakes, he was a married man and far past his prime!_

Rosetta spotted the Dean and sashayed over to his table, stealing the chair opposite him.

"Sorry I'm late, Sir," Rosetta began.

Dean Delmona raised his hand to stop her. "It's quite alright, Miss Stone. I'm just surprised at your timing. After all, it was _your_ request that I meet you here rather than in my office."

"I got... held up," Rosetta explained. Really, she'd been trying to find the most innocent, least revealing outfit she owned to wear in front of the Dean. (_There was nothing more innocent than pink unicorns, right?) _And she hadn't put on as much makeup as usual... Good thing none of her friends could see her at this dusty old tea shop.

Rosetta continued with a shrug. "So, what seems to be the problem, Sir?"

"Well, Miss Stone, I wished to discuss the nature of your relationship with Professor Layton." _No point in beating around the bush _Delmona thought.

The girl frowned slightly. "Sir, I assure you my relationship with Professor L... I mean, _Professor Layton_, is completely fine. I'm one of his best students!"

"Lecturers are not supposed to have favourites in the classroom," the Dean pointed out. "And it has come to my attention that Professor Layton provides you with weekly study sessions."

"That's right," Rosetta confirmed, her tone almost challenging "Is there something wrong with private tuition?"

"Not at all... However, Professor Layton has alerted me that your grades are unsatisfactory. I cannot help but question what you are learning during these 'private sessions'."

Rosetta gave him a confused look. "All I'm interested in learning about is archaeology."

"Is that so?" Dean Delmona frowned "In that case, I'll have to talk to Hershel about his methods of teaching..."

"W-what?" Rosetta hesitated "You don't, um, have to speak to the professor or anything... He's a really, _really_ good teacher, honestly. Maybe it's just _me_. I guess I _could _study a little more outside of class..." With that confession, she suddenly appeared sad.

Dean Delmona patted her hand. "There there. With a bit of perseverance, I'm sure your grades will shoot up in no time."

"You really think so?" the girl met his gaze, her eyes shining with newfound hope.

"Why of course, Miss Stone. It should be easy for a bright young woman like you."

"Thanks, Sir! Well, I'd better head home and get studying immediately..." Rosetta grinned at him, stood up and hurried out of the tea shop. She'd have to be a lot more careful when she was flirting with Professor L from now on.

Dean Delmona waved to her, smiling. _What a lovely girl... and she has an adorable sense of fashion. _After Rosetta's presence had left the room for several moments, the spell was broken. The Dean looked around in shock and blinked. He had clean forgotten to finish talking to her about her relationship with Professor Layton.

* * *

_**[[This is my entry for **__**lolidge19**__**'s**_ _**Professor Layton fanfic competition.**_

_**Characters: **_**Rosetta Stone & Dean Delmona**

_**Setting: **_**A Cafe in London**

_**Prompts: **_**A ****Unicorn & A Lie**_**]]**_

_**I hope this meets the required prompts... We all know how much of a liar Rosetta is. **_

_**The setting is actually taken from The Last Spectre prologue, when Emmy chases the Laytonmobile out of Gressenheller on her scooter along a road. The "Teal Tea Shop" is supposed to be the building with the blue green sign, pillars and the menu outside.]] **_


End file.
